How, When and Where

How Important are Dates?

• Historians were once fascinated by dates, debating events like coronations or battles.
• Common misconception: history = memorizing dates.
• History is about changes over time, comparing past to present.
• Everyday questions often have historical roots (e.g., tea drinking, railway origins).

Historical Questions and Time

• Historical questions often don't need precise dates.
• Processes develop over time (e.g., tea drinking, British rule establishment).
• History was once about battles, rulers, and big events with specific dates.
• Modern historians focus on broader issues (livelihoods, urban development, cultural changes).

Determining Important Dates

• Importance of dates is context-dependent.
• British histories focused on Governor-Generals; Indian activities were often sidelined.
• New historical focus changes important dates.

How Do We Periodise?

• James Mill's historical periodisation: Hindu, Muslim, British.
• Problems with religious periodisation: ignores coexistence of multiple faiths.
• European-inspired periodisation: ancient, medieval, modern.
• Modern period associated with progress, but British rule lacked equality and freedom.

Colonial Period

• Colonization: British conquest led to political, economic, social changes in India.
• History as 'Our Pasts': different experiences for different groups.

How Do We Know?

Sources for Indian History

• British administration records are key sources.
• Writing was crucial for documentation, leading to a culture of memos and reports.
• Record rooms established in administrative offices.

Surveys and Their Importance

• Surveys were crucial for British administration (mapping, revenue, census).
• Various surveys conducted: botanical, zoological, archaeological, etc.

Limitations of Official Records

• Official records reflect official perspectives, not local opinions.
• Other sources needed: diaries, travelers’ accounts, autobiographies, popular booklets.
• Literacy limitations: many voices remain unheard.

Activities and Discussion

• Examine images like Fig.1 for imperial perspectives.
• Consider periodisation problems and British document preservation.
• Compare newspaper and police report information.
• Think about modern surveys and their historical value.
• Imaginary task: researching post-independence agricultural changes in a tribal area.